The dictator wore a tie featuring the colours of St George Ribbon (colloquially called a potato beetle ribbon) as he was making a speech at the Palace of the Republic.

Lukashenka took part in a solemn meeting on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the country's liberation from the Nazi invaders.

He read a part of his speech in Belarusian, but the greater part of the address was in Russian.

Attempts to avoid taxes by any means is moral treason, the dictator says.

“The ancient Romans used to say that a citizen is someone who pays taxes, who supports the state, who voluntarily gives up part of their labor for the common good,” Lukashenka said.

He said paying taxes was a duty that many want to avoid.

“But taxes are not only an economic category. This is also a political and moral one. This is a citizen's contribution to the construction of our common home, Belarus, peace and security, education, healthcare, comfort and prosperity of our towns and villages. Attempts to avoid this contribution by any means are a kind of moral treason. This is dishonestly towards those who live and work honestly.”

The dictator thinks it is a kind of betrayal of those who many years ago sacrificed their lives for their homeland, which is hundred times more valuable than any money.